I Visited Singapore’s Oldest Mall

[@lamjay5189]

Thank you for filming these videos on our malls. Some of which we don’t visit anymore.

[@ragsoh]

Katong Shopping Centre was my go-to place in the 1970s. There was a Fitzpatrick's supermarket (eventually it was bought over by Cold Storage). I would go to Fitzpatrick's with my classmates to buy mini hot dogs, canned pineapple cubes and skewered them with a toothpick for our class's year end party. And if you leave Katong Shopping Centre, you could walk to Red House - we used to go there for ice cream and it was a luxury to eat ice cream in those days. And behind the Red House is Tay Buan Guan supermarket - the most atas (exclusive) supermarket in those days - we used to go there to buy ham (it was a super luxury to eat ham in those days haha).

[@___Danny___]

@@ragsoh i go tbg there to play jackpot and horse machine. good old days

[@claratan3694]

I grew up with this mall in the 70s and 80s. It used to be the only mall where easties patronize before Parkway Parade came along. My mum would get her fabric to make into clothes during Chinese New Year. For us kids, we went there to do photocopy and also to record our favorite songs into personalised cassette tapes. So nostalgic.

[@paecpc]

Ghib SAN’s mandarin has improved 👍 And that outfit, wow, interesting! Thanks for keeping us entertained, cheers!

[@kwongjennifer8939]

Oh Ghib-san, u look hilarious in that 70s outfit!😂 I salute you for your courageous spirit to wear that! 😂

[@phng8316]

your outfit...is too retro..so everyone is staring at you lah..

[@Jinocidal]

Hey Ghib! I’ve been enjoying this mall series! Its really interesting and it sheds light to different sides of Singapore! This video is extremely well done especially the unique take on an ad at the end. Keep it up!

[@GhibOjisan]

Glad you like☺️

[@IloveFreo]

I’m really enjoying these vlogs of the old style malls!

[@dawnho7744]

It has been over 30 years since I last worked there. The interior is an improvement now. Most of the shops that I knew of are no longer around. However, the chicken rice place is till there! One thing didn't change. The congregation of maid agencies. It's like Golden Mile and tour bus agencies to Malaysia. Ghib, I love your sake advertisement at the end!

[@davidccg274]

There was a bowling centre and restaurant at level 7th. I work there as a part-time waiter during my secondary school years.

[@peachypeach]

Ghib: Prepare to spend $100 on a maid. Katong Shopping Center: Different kind of maid bruh.

[@jeffreysetapak]

@@peachypeach $100?? You think you are buying some lady's time in Geylang Serai ah?? So cheap.

[@peachypeach]

@@jeffreysetapak maid cafe bro.

[@LiFaSoh]

Used to go there to sing at Teo Heng KTV. But think it closed down during the covid period. During that time, the toilets are fine for an old mall. The carpark parking space is poorly design. Part of the parking space is taken up by the pillar at the side. Only small compact cars can park there.

[@daikontaiko]

Ghib Ojisan! I used to have maths tuition here on the sixth level! I think by the time I was finishing my O Levels in 2007 the bowling alley was already gone or almost shuttered, so that was quite a long time ago... The banana cake store and the chicken rice store have been there from since before, and I always liked to eat the chocolate tarts, cream scones and chicken rice. Aside from all the past stores you mentioned, this also used to be a hot spot for gaming cafes when I was still studying. There was also a manga rental store where you could chill and read. A lot of them shuttered by the time I finished my tertiary studies. It's a very nostalgic location for me; so I'm glad you went to go see it!

[@pizzlewinkler]

Somehow this video actually reminded me of the one time I was here in 2019, still a lot better than most shopping malls in my hometown.

[@LetMeShowYouIt]

Just found your channel and I'm binge watching all your videos your very entertaining 😊 thankyou!❤

[@Aeadiyen]

One of my favourite malls when i was growing up. I used to go there a lot during my secondary school days. The bakery sells the best chocolate tarts anywhere. The chicken rice store is cheap and really good. There used to be an small arcade centre on the 2nd floor. The outdoor areas at B1 used to be LAN shops during the internet boom days. Students used to go there to play Counterstrike alot.

[@eggie011]

Used to go there in the 70s with my classmates to look at stamps. We were very much into stamp collecting.

[@dansharpe2364]

Oh wow, we went here on my first visit to Singapore from Hong Kong in 1979! I was 13. I recall there being a comic book stall, or was that in the Tang Plaza Mall? Anyone remember?

[@Youtiao87]

Yes there's a basement comic shop I last time

[@dansharpe2364]

@@Youtiao87 thank you!

[@Fudge1706]

In the 90s my cousins and I used to go there to buy comics.Places like these,Roxy Square across the street and City Plaza are places that seem trapped in time.I hope they will be around forever.

[@benkuzaaa]

you know you have gotten naturalized in Singapore when you eat a tart and your compliment is "Not too Sweet."

[@asgard168]

Love this series on mall, please do more.

[@paulinetan4502]

Your content creation is getting more and more interesting, despite the stares you still carry on your investigation.. ;)

[@Artificialcountry]

Just love the way you speak. Absolutely objective, and Japanese accent is super entertaining. No offense, but really like your videos. Just my taste ❤❤❤

[@user-FEFe]

11:47 Morgan Hobbycraft 😍 where I fell in love with scale modelling ✈in 1981!

[@LeadTheWolves]

fav chicken rice!! and Freebird is one of the most chill bars ever...nice quiet spot

[@littlelunalis2763]

The chicken rice stall was what my family grew up eating. We always order a full chicken and bring our own pot for the soup to takeaway. My favorite was always their soup, especially their cabbage soup because of how peppery it was and the cabbage absorbs it very well (not sure if they still do it anymore). I think in the recent years we stopped going because of the price and we happen to find a chicken rice stall closer to where we live

[@davidwongwantho96]

Katong Shopping Center may be the oldest mall but it is decently clean. Good food and fantastic pastry are found here. Toilets are not too bad despite its age.

[@boyan619]

Katong Shopping Centre (Chinese: 加东购物中心) is a shopping centre located along Mountbatten Road in Singapore. Established in 1971 and opened to the public in 1973, it was the first air-conditioned mall in Singapore. Katong Shopping Centre is situated around Odeon Theater, Katong V, Roxy Square, as well as several hotels, such as Village Hotel Katong and the Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel. The aging mall was once home to a bowling center on the 7th floor and mostly textile, shoe and food outlets, and now houses many services which include tailoring, photocopying/printing and several employment agencies.

[@jeffreysetapak]

@@boyan619 I remember in 1970's the building displayed 加東購物中心 in the old Chinese characters.

[@ケロム-r4t]

先月初めて行ったカトンショッピングセンターがジブさんの動画になって嬉しいです😆1FにあるMADAS The Boutique Cafeはカヤトーストがとても美味しくて、店内も綺麗だしお店の人も優しくてとてもおすすめです😋

[@GhibOjisan]

次行ってみますね😆

[@thewalk7816]

I like the ending the most.

[@周周奕奕]

The thing is katong shopping center is more a place for agencies and maybe clothing stores not really the kind with food and everything. The toilets are because its so old and it's pretty big with if I remember 8 floors. So maintaining all toilets are not very easy

[@yddang1978]

Saw you talking to someone at the car park lift lobby area. Your shirt was outstanding. Hahaha

[@chefdezishere]

That model kit shop used to called Morgan's till ownership changed hands. Morgan passed away some years back.

[@chinzynator]

Oh! Hobby Bounties is an Airfix Specialty shop! The kits are a bit pricey but they are really friendly and I recall that they have hobby events probably almost every saturday afternoon! If you want to see more model kit stores, there are a few scattered around the island.

[@MaximilianJackson]

Ghib-san, that was amazing! Can I bring you to more amazing food places to review?

[@seb2750]

I came here alot in the 80s and 90s to the PC shops there buying floppy disk games as a young school boy. I came back in the 2010s to do some work for the maid agencies there and the whole place is so different from what I knew in the 80s n 90s.

[@anaz6274]

Chocolate tart and banana pie looks good..gonna dropby there soon.

[@Emiluv33]

I couldn't help giggling at your outfit! 😂 Enjoyed another video of yours, thank you

[@mrtransmogrify]

This was a go-to place during my very early childhood (wayyy before Parkway Parade) ... those days they used to have a soft-serve ice cream machine on the stairway leading to the entrance. Way before its time.

[@willie8452]

Another mall video with an EPIC ending hahahahaha!!!!!

[@ThereIsNoTrueLove]

first City Plaza, second Katong Shopping Centre Ghib, u are visiting my childhood!! Parkway Parade next? xD

[@GhibOjisan]

Maybe one day!

[@JasonKangKangXX]

あのどころに韓国海鮮レストランがある！！ とても新鮮な海鮮がある！レストランの名前はgolden ocean ですよ。 わたしをオススメです。

[@Machinationstudio]

In the 90s, there was 7 secondary schools* nearby, so the game shops (pirated floppy disk games) and photocopy shops are from that time. 1st floor has a toiletry shop that is very well priced, as well as a ballroom dancing shoe shop. The 2nd hand watch and precious stones places are a big draw for shoppers of the older generation. The bakery and chicken rice is, of course, famous. The scale model shop and chinese comic shop have also been institutions since the 80s and 90s. So while it is mostly maid agencies now, there are some highly specialized stores that have their dedicated customers. * Tanjong Katong Tech, Tanjong Katong Girls, Dunman Sec, Dunman High, Chung Cheng (Main) and further away, Broadrick and Maju.

[@shigemorif1066]

That outfit is awesome!

[@jeffreysetapak]

Katong Mei Wei Chicken Rice. Mei Wei 美味 means delicious in Chinese.

[@GhibOjisan]

Means the same in Japanese too😆

[@xyl1981]

Appreciate ur efforts in making this video. The weather is insane to be dressed in this😅

[@kelvgan]

KSC is really old school and rare and it will be a pity if this SC gets torn down

[@zdl1965]

People's Park Complex in Chinatown is even older, dating from 1970. Please visit!

[@benjaminxue4017]

omg, there are such great places to get your specs done, get chicken rice and of course Auntie Peng Banana Pie!!!

[@kewpiechong]

You have missed out on a very expensive looking spectacles shop on 1st floor. There is also a table tennis academy on the 7th floor. The carpark is tiny cause cars in the 70s were tiny. For your next adventure, you should visit Queensway Shopping Center. It is also one of the oldest malls in SG, opened since 1976. Challenge yourself to NOT spend more than $100 there. There are so many interesting shops there. Plus the very confusing layout means you'd get lost easily and spend many hours there.

[@hoalex8089]

The photocopy shop was popular in the 80's because there are many schools in the area and a library at the nearby Marine Parade. We students will always photocopy books we borrowed from library. The Hobby shop is also quite old. You can find many old/yellowed boxes of model kits. There used to be many computer shops here in the 80's that sell pirated PC games and software.

[@nolanfrancis4257]

These type of malls is what make Singapore Unique

[@kelvgan]

In the 80s before parkway parade open. Everybody from marine parade and east coast will go to KFC b1 where there are a chain of popular Malay barber shop Sri nada.etc to get out hair fix. A really happening place

[@paulineteo2186]

The coconut tart looks delicious!

[@freddyng3623]

The toilets here are much better than those in heartlands. I give 5 stars❤

[@samk5569]

The yong tau foo laksa stall next to the chicken rice stall is also very good; not many people know it but you should try it. I used to eat there very often when I was working in the east. There used to be a nice chinese dessert stall but I believe the owners have stopped running as they are quite senior. The mall is not dodgy at all and toliet is way cleaner than those in the coffeeshops

[@Zayn-jc4zt]

Mr Ghib looks handsomely retro. Lets go Agogo🕺🪩

[@projektxtension]

The comics shop. Woodlands Welllington Club. Rayman Billards. Then there were lan gaming overnight (counter strikes). Bowling Centre was called Ten Pin. My aunts used to have a photocopy shop there too. My primary school and sec school uniforms were altered at a tailor shop there too. Haha. So katong SC brings back so much memories.

[@feimiao]

The pie shop is famous

[@coastalmoonie7654]

Dat was such a huge sacrifice u made for this video wearing dat outfit! 😂😂

[@GhibOjisan]

It’s okay I happy my legs long 👨🏻

[@coastalmoonie7654]

@@GhibOjisan 🤣👍

[@magicayu]

I used to buy my primary & secondary school uniforms there back in the 90s or 00s if I remember correctly. And oh yeah, there's the Cuesports Singapore academy (pool and snooker) where Aloysius Yapp trains there (on the 1st floor).

[@michaelseet9320]

Dude Hooby Bounty have been around since 1975..and that scary part has my childhood doctor Dr Chan..the chicken rice is lit..level 7 is where Tenpin Bowling Center used to be and it was the location of my first job..

[@yunz4608]

I thought of Psy Gangnam Style when I saw your whole fit 😂 Interesting Mall, even most singaporeans may not have heard of it before!

[@Pauk-b6o]

Like your outfits Ghib San😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@weichianglee3823]

One of the best Chicken rice stall is also here

[@charlottetang93]

Best chicken rice ever!!! My fave since forever!!

[@Onana888]

I always go Katong to eat chicken rice and print my notes, its considerably cheaper compared to outside

[@WahPiang]

I used to buy pirated games and comics there in the late 80s

[@JustAnOrdinaryTechie69]

Their Banana pies are really good. Highly recommended!!!

[@chenyinmei6466]

So fun watching you ghib..outfit and all

[@TheIneedtopee]

Didn't even know of Auntie Peng's Grew up eating banana pies and chocolate tarts from Dona Manis. Nostalgic!

[@annew5380]

Auntie Peng just opened. You can google their story and that "rivalry" haha..

[@kennySg101]

Nice n interesting video. Old malls always attract certain trades that just want and address for cheap rent.

[@bobbywoo2957]

Good old school banana cake and chicken rice

[@ceciliatan8043]

They used to have an emporium there too.

[@sashimi35]

Banana pie is nice and also the coconut tart. I feel that the chicken rice is not that fantastic though they have the achar.

[@AstrobumTV]

Try checking out the toilet of the oldest neighborhood coffeeshop in Singapore

[@sglatitude]

I used to visit that old mall regularly when my kids attended Montessori classes there 12 years ago. Our family doctor, Dr. Kevin Chan, also has his clinic on level 2. I doubt the mall will be modernized anytime soon, especially with larger malls like Parkway Parade and I12 Katong Shopping Center nearby.

[@audreytan8520]

Echoing many of the commenters here! It was always a treat to eat at the open-air basement fish and chips joint as a primary schooler on Sundays, followed by a visit to the Red House Bakery for delicious baked bread and rolls for next day's breakfast.

[@ThePrestoul]

Cracked so hard when he say its bustling, everyone watching and he feel so pai seh hahaha

[@zacktjoe7454]

Heard there’s a shop call “Ghostbuster” that helped with your mythical needs.

[@rogeretiennedelacruz3000]

My secondary school used to be nearby and my late grandpa used to stay around the corner so I know this shopping mall as I used to come here. Like City Plaza, KSC has been around for a long time.

[@JonasGobel]

Remember old times those outside shop used to sell pirated disc where we have to enter hidden room😂

[@___Danny___]

buy from the second floor cheaper

[@NationalFoodBro]

Come on the shops werent even hidden. It was the sim lim square of pirated discs

[@___Danny___]

@@JonasGobel the back hidden room normally is stocked with AV , not your typical games and software.

[@Youtiao87]

Yeah when it was okay to openly display them on racks 😂😂😂

[@dawnho7744]

Don't forget the LDs.

[@manchesterunitedno7]

17:10 Ojisan just stumbled upon a BACKROOM! Thankfully, you didn't dare to venture further. Otherwise we may have a different kind of video.

[@jeffreysetapak]

The yellowish rice is because of ginger and turmeric.

[@bakkwa8705]

In the 1970’s , it was rumoured that St. Patrick boys would hang out with KC girls in this shopping centre carpark . It was even said that teachers from both schools would conduct spot checks 😹 So ………. is it true or not ah ?

[@jamesng9811]

Hahaha… shhhh… 😊😊

[@PositivelyNice]

I watched your sake ad because you dressed up for the video! 🎉🎉🎉

[@GhibOjisan]

Yay!

[@chanmk28]

Very good, pls show more such videos

[@___Danny___]

didn’t know they are the oldest mall. the airfix shop was there since 1982 at least , bought my first airfix there. they used to have a bowling, billiard , gambling den, pirated game software shop. the chicken rice standard already drop. they actually have the best toilet cos they used to have a huge ventilation fan on the floor and squatting toilet , air is always blowing in from under the door gap. smoke and bomb at the same time shiok. 😁 bought my first playboy and japanese copy porn magazine there as well.

[@olivertheparrotletfamily]

Ghib, since you're on the malls trail, have you visited Queensway shopping center?

[@GhibOjisan]

Nope! Maybe next video?😆

[@UzumakiNaruto-ln9kg]

old malls have personality, nowadays malls are just replicated with each other

[@amirsyazli1621]

10:38 but very hard to earn money ☹️ at 14:17 there’s a reason why, because in SG ah, got a lot of people too “geli-geli” to them, so they us toilet paper to touch the door knob to leave the toilet

[@Notxander0]

The mall not that bad 😂😂😂 I go there for tuition every Monday❤

[@KhidAndFamily]

Katong Shopping Center is the OG of the malls! I used to go there in the late 90s and early 2000s to play LAN games with friends!

[@KhidAndFamily]

and there are also hidden "members only" Arcades that you can access from the stairs at the sides. Those were the days!

[@sweetbean3599]

Hi Ghib, you should visit Grandlink Mall if you can! The Vietnamese and Thai restaurants there are super authentic! So yummy and delicious 🤤 Also, may I ask if your outfit was on purpose for the retro theme?? 😅 I love the last part of the video! 😂

[@GhibOjisan]

Yes I wanted to really time travel hence my outfit 🥸

[@iAxianguy]

🤣👍👍 the last minute of the video

[@momjjang5779]

Hey Ghib, your're really funny in your outfit and your jokes! Made me laugh so many times! Surprised that KSC is so vibrant with its unique shops and food choices (except for the maid agencies). Definitely a place I wanna visit!

[@gryff8400]

Wonder how the mall will change now it is close by two stations on the TELephone MRT line?

[@yongkangyong9949]

Your outfit like Ken Hirai's "Pop Star" Music Video 👍

[@AllanKoayTC]

This. Is. A. Great. Video.

[@TheOldmankk]

Wah lao eh, you ah go go go, coconut coconut 123. 😂